Just For The Fun Of It

Last week we published the COVID 19 Protocols that will be in place for the upcoming season. We want to clarify that, while we encourage everyone eligible to be vaccinated do so, THERE IS NO MANDATE THAT PLAYERS BE VACCINATED BEFORE THEY CAN PLAY.

Vaccination requirements are in place as outlined for all executive members and league volunteers until such time as that is not required by the ALCDSB.

As stated in the protocols, they are “subject to change dependant on any specific decisions by the ALCDSB or the KFL&A Officer of Health regarding restrictions.”R

Congratulations to all recipients of this award for 2022! Congratulations too to Pete’s family for keeping his dream alive through this program. To the recipients- We hope that you will all be difference makers in your community while at school and in your working lives later. Winston Churchill said “You make a living from what you get. You make a life from what you give.” That’s how Pete lived his life, and it inspired generations of volunteers. R

The Announcement below was posted on Bridget-Walker-Payne’s Facebook page.


Bridget Walker-Payne

Congratulations to this years Five recipients of the Don “Pete”Peterson Spirit Memorial Award ; Madeline Farrell , Nathan Matos, Meghrig Milkon, Adam Nuttall and Matthew Sutton. Madeleine will be heading to Queen’s University Bachelor of Arts (honours) Bachelor of Education program, Nathan will be off to Western entering the Bachelor of Engineering Science program, Meghrig will be entering the Bachelor of Arts honours program at Queen’s University as well, Adam will be entering the PAH General Arts and Science program at Queen’s and Matthew will attend Laurentian University studying BPHE(Hons) Kinesiology.
Pete would be so proud to have five more young inspiring minds to carry on his legacy making a difference in the lives of others “Just for the fun of it” Congratulations once again to these amazing young graduates !

A few weeks ago we announced that a special commemorative patch would be worn on all of the Girls Division uniforms this season to recognize the establishment of the Girls Division 40 years ago, and to specifically recognize the work done by Joanie Besselink and Mary O’Neill to make that happen.

You will see other memorial patches on uniforms and we wanted to give you some background on each of them.

PETE – You will see these patches on all league uniforms to remember the league founder Don “Pete” Petersen, the man that started the league 68 years ago.

MR – You will see these patches on all Biddy Division uniforms to remember Mike Robertson, a long time volunteer with the league who was a referee in all divisions and member of league executive for many years.

TVH – You will see these patches on the Golden Gals uniforms in the Little Gals Division. These patches are in memory of Trinty VanHeddegem, a player on the Golden Gals that sadly passed away during the season a few years ago. Her hope that season was to be be included in the season ending slide show. The Trinity VanHeddegem Memorial Award is given to the Little Gals Division “Rookie of the Year” each season.

We hope this helps you understand the special memorials and contributions made to help make and keep the league that Don Petersen started a special place to be.

With just 36 sleeps until registration day, we wanted to let all of our participants, supporters and volunteers know what actions we are taking to help ensure the safety of all of our participants as we restart. As all of us have seen since March of 2020, taking reasonable precautions can make a difference, and we want to continue to do that, while still ensuring that everyone involved enjoys the experience of being involved in a team sport. Above all, we ask that everyone be kind, patient, and understanding throughout the season as we gat back to basketball.

Below is the Return to Play Protocols document that we as a league have developed, based on the ALCDSB guidelines and guidelines from the KFL&A Health Unit, along with our own ideas to help allow a safe return to play.

Pete Petersen Basketball League COVID 19 Protocols

2022-23 Season

All eligible individuals are strongly encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, unless there is a medical reason to not receive a vaccine, by the Ministry of Health and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer.

This protocol applies to the following groups and is subject to change dependant on any specific decisions by the ALCDSB or the KFL&A Officer of Health regarding restrictions:

a) All executive members and league volunteers

b) All players

c) All visitors to the gyms on game nights

For League executive members and volunteers only:

1. You must present a valid vaccination certificate provided by the Ministry of Health showing that you are “fully vaccinated”. By definition this is two doses, although booster doses are recommended.

2. Written proof of a medical reason, provided by either a physician or nurse practitioner that sets out.

a. That the person cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19. Please refer to approved medical exemption requirements, as stipulated by the Ministry of Health). The exemption must clearly indicate the reason why the individual cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19 (i.e., clear medical information that supports the exemption).

3. Individuals subject to this protocol who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or who do not disclose their vaccination status, must complete a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 and demonstrate a negative result prior to entering the gyms on game nights. This test must be completed at the gym in the presence of a league executive member and at no cost to the organization.

For all players and visitors to the gyms on game nights, league executive and volunteers:

If you have any of the following symptoms do not come to the gyms:

• Fever (feeling hot to the touch, a temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher)

• Cough that’s new or worsening

• Shortness of breath (feeling out of breath, unable to breathe deeply)

• Sore throat

• Runny nose (not related to seasonal allergies or other known causes or conditions)

• Stuffy or congested nose (not related to seasonal allergies or other known causes or conditions)

• Lost sense of taste or smell

• Headache that’s unusual or long lasting

• Digestive issues (nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain)

• Chills

• Muscle aches that are unusual or long lasting

• Extreme tiredness that is unusual

Signs reminding participants of these symptoms will be posted at gym entrances.

If you test positive for COVID 19 we ask that you not return to play for five days or until you have a negative COVID test.

On Game nights and during organized group activities:

1) Hand sanitizer will be available at a location to be designated and at the scorers tables in each gym. We encourage all players to use the hand sanitizer when entering the game.

2) Chairs will be spaced out in the gym more than they have been in the past and we encourage mask wearing if you are a spectator. Anyone wishing to wear a mask in the gym is doing so by choice and no questioning of this decision will be tolerated.

3) Our traditional post game hand shake line will be discontinued. Alternatives to this sportsmanship gesture will be determined in each division.

4) Hand held electronic whistles will be available for game officials wishing to wear a mask.

5) For player evaluation nights we will be restricting the number of player participants to 24 per session (30 for Graduate Division evaluations)to minimize the number of people in the gym.

6) Passive screening signs will be posted at the entrances to the gyms.

7) For the two ball tournament in November we will be restructuring the event to reduce crowd size at any one time in the gym.

8) A sneeze guard with a pass through window will be used at the St. Francis of Assisi canteen.

With only 48 Sleeps before Registration Day 2022 – Saturday September 10, 2022– we thought it would be appropriate to publish our answers to frequently asked questions about registration. Please contact us if there are questions you have that may not be answered here. Please note that all ages referenced are the age that the child will be on April 1, 2023.

1) What are the game nights for the upcoming season? Answer: Monday Nights – Biddy Division (boys 11-12) at St. Francis of Assisi; Graduate Division (boys 13-15) at Ecole Cathedrale; Tuesday Nights- Little Guys Division (boys 8-10) at St. Francis of Assisi; Wednesday Nights – Girls Division (Girls 11-14) at St. Francis of Assisi; Thursday Nights- Little Gals Division ( girls 8-10)at St. Francis of Assisi. Graduate games start at 5:30 pm (3 games a night in one hour time slots), and all other divisions start at 6 pm with four games in 45 minute time slots.

2) I am going to be out of town on September 10 and you have no on line registration. How do I get my child registered?
Answer: If you are going to be away September 10 you can get someone else to start the registration process for you. They will need the name, date of birth, contact phone numbers, address and e mail address (if applicable) for your player, along with the $10 registration fee. They will be given a copy of the registration form that you will need to sign and bring with you to the player evaluation night. We must have a signed registration form before your child can participate in league activities. PLEASE DO NOT ASK MEMBERS OF OUR LEAGUE EXECUTIVE TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR YOU. We are very busy on registration day looking after other details of the process.

2 a) Why don’t you have on line registration like other leagues? Answer: Having in person, first come, first served registration equalizes the opportunity for everyone in the community. We allow someone else to register your child as long as you make those arrangements as a concession to those that may need to be unavailable at registration time due to work or other commitments.

3) Can we request to be on the same team as another player?
Answer: Due to the large number of requests we receive each year, and our growing number of registrations, we can no longer assure you that player pairing requests will be granted, with the exception of siblings in the same age group, and where a DEFINITE need to ride together has been established and communicated. It has been overwhelming for our volunteers to accommodate these large number of requests while trying to build fair and balanced teams. We believe that this approach keeps us in line with the practice of most other youth organizations. We see our program as a great opportunity for family members and players to meet new friends and neighbours from across our community, establishing friendships that may last for years to come.

4) Can we request to be on a specific coach’s team?
Answer: No, you may not request a coach. The only exception to this rule is if you are an assistant for that coach.

5) What happens if I miss the player evaluation night? Will my child be “cut” from the program?
Answer: While we hope that all players come out for evaluation night, no one that is registered will be “cut”. All will be placed on a team, and you will be notified what team and the team practice time in the days following our September 21 coaches meeting.

6) What do I do if I find out that my child has a conflict with another activity or decides they don’t want to play this season?
Answer: Please notify us as soon as possible by e mail (roland.billings@sympatico.ca), by phone (613 548-8790), through the web site or Facebook page. We will likely have a waiting list in each division of players that want to play, and a decision on your part will get one of them into the league.

7) How often will there be practices and what time of day will they be held?
Answer: In each division there will be one evaluation night practice in the week after registration following the schedule distributed at registration and that will be published here after registration day. In the week after the coaches meeting (September 26-29) there will be one practice with your team on the same game nights and time slots outlined in question one above. Once games begin there are no more practices.

On July 3, 2014 the founder of the league that now has his name passed away. We want everyone involved in his program to understand that Pete Petersen was more than the name on the t shirts and the PETE patches on uniforms. Don Petersen was a humble man with a simple philosophy when he started this program. He wanted to give the children in his neighbourhood a safe place to come to to play basketball and to learn both game skills and, just as important, life lessons at the same time. He transferred that enthusiasm for making a difference to hundreds of people over his life time and we will be forever grateful that he opened the back door at St. Pat’s and invited the children playing on the hill to come in and play some basketball. We remain committed to keeping Don’s dream alive so that the next generations of players will know how much fun being on a team and playing this game can be. Thanks for sharing that vision and dream with us Don.

Congratulations to Ambrielle Cabral and Jackson Burtch, winners of one week each at the Holy Cross Basketball Camp this summer. Ambrielle will be attending the camp in July and Jackson the camp in August. Our thanks to all that entered the draw, and to Nancy Vivian for drawing the names. Our special thanks to Robin Dzierniejko and the Holy Cross coaching staff for supplying the opportunity for our players to attend, and for believing in what we do for the children in our community.

We are thrilled and proud to announce that Amber Allport, a long time volunteer in the Little Gals Division, has agreed to join the league executive effective immediately. Amber has grown up around the gyms where we play, and played in the league as well. She has been a volunteer coach for several years, and has actively helped with special events. Amber has been recognized by our organization and by the Province of Ontario for her volunteer contributions and brings with her a passion for keeping the dream of Don Petersen growing in our community. Please join us in welcoming Amber to our league executive.

We were given another spot at the St. Lawrence Basketball Camp by an anonymous donor so we had an additional draw from the original camp names that were interested in attending. Doug Vivian made the draw, and our winner is Josh Bugna! He will be attending week two of the camp thanks to the generosity of our anonymous donor. To that person- thank you supporting what SLC does in the community, for believing in our players, and for believing in we do for the children in our community. You are a difference maker!

May 12 Doug Jeffries announced that he will be retiring as a broadcaster after 46 years, effective with his last broadcast on June 15. Throughout his career Doug has shown a passion for local sports unmatched anywhere. Countless hours of his own time have been spent shining a light on sports organizations, events and individual athletes that are far from what would be considered mainstream. We have been fortunate to be the recipient of that beacon that is Doug Jeffries over the years and for that as an organization we will be forever grateful.

Many of you reading this have been, or are, parts of other local organizations that have had Doug cover your event, or you and your team as an athlete.

My request is a simple one, and one I am sure will be echoed around the city in the next month. Don’t let Doug Jeffries walk away June 15th without letting him know how much he is appreciated by the sports community he cares so much about. If you have a story about your interactions with Doug that you want to share, or a comment about his impact on local sports share it here, or send it to me at roland.billings@sympatico.ca and I will compile them and get them to Doug. Share this amongst your own networks so that we spread the message as widely as we can in the sports community that Doug loves so much.

On June 15th the light that Doug shone on the dimmer corners of the local sports community will go out. We will continue to operate as before, but the electricity that sweeps through the players at a gym, rink or field when Doug walks in and sets up his camera will go out, and that will be a sad day for local sports. Help make it a little less sad for Doug. RB